good morning, america. i'm robin roberts. >> and i'm george stephanopoulos. it's friday, september 24th. and this morning, extreme weather. powerful storms drown parts of the midwest, forcing hundreds to higher ground. as another tropical storm could be headed for the gulf coast. 9/11 insult. the iranian president calls the terror attacks a cover-up. sparking outrage and a walkout by the u.s. delegation. we'll have reaction from the white house. caught on tape. a vicious girl fight, as one of the girls' moms appears to egg her on. why the cheers ended with charges of abuse. come on, elmo. don't you want to play?

>> too sexy for "sesame street"? why the children's show pulled the plug on katy perry's appearance. is it the kids? or the parents? >> there's a lot of excitement around our dinner table last night. when i told the girls that elmo and grover will be here to talk about that story, they cheered. harper wanted elmo's autograph. i'm not sure. he's only 3. >> i don't know if that can happen. perks of the job. a lot 06 ground to cover in the meantime. hundreds of homes have been evacuated after flooding in wisconsin and minnesota. a state of emergency has been declared in both states. and the national guard is now sandbagging, bracing against more bad weather today. and then, there's a new tropical storm that could be heading toward the gulf. it's expected to become a hurricane later tonight. sam is tracking all of us for

it. all of your facebook fans and friends it's okay. facebook is up and running after its worst service disruption in four years. we're going to show you the funny ways people dealt with it. we're going to begin with severe flooding in the midwest, where 10 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours. one of the hardest-hit areas was arcadia, wisconsin. and linsey davis is there. good morning, lindsay. >> reporter: good morning. the flooding has stopped. but the flooding is still a problem. look at the intersection of main street. and where the water goes literally up to the foundation of several homes in this area. the river continues to crest until possibly sunday. and then, to make matters worse, officials were worried about a dam being breached downstream. and the worry now is that may cause even more flooding. across the upper midwest, several towns are in a desperate

fight against mother nature. torrential rains submerged cars, flooded homes and streets and created sink holes. here in arcadia, wisconsin, floodwaters reached as high as three feet. the national guard distributed 20,000 sandbags. and police officers went door-to-door thursday, to urge more than half of the town's residents, about 1,500, to evacuate. >> i feel sorry for the people of arcadia. just the people that are losing things. basements are going to be flooded. it's terrible. >> reporter: governors in minnesota and wisconsin both issued states of emergency. while most of the rain stopped overnight, flooding persists. >> water base and flooding is continuing to rise. it's causing a lot of problems for us. it's going to be a long day. >> reporter: the rain is approaching ten inches in some parts of southern minnesota. >> i just want to cry. i'm just sick. everything in the backyard

floated away. i don't know if our deck is gone yet. >> yeah, it is. >> is it? >> yeah. >> reporter: scenes like this in owatonna are the results of remnants of tropical storm georgette. sections of pipe stone have been closed off. tractors had to come in and rescue people from their flooded homes. >> my wife, right now, is just beside herself. she said, i have to leave. >> reporter: the water's only up to billy's doorstep. but it feels like he's in over his head. >> what do you do? you know? what do you do? >> reporter: no major rain is in the forecast for today. but more is expected tomorrow. no rest for the weary. george? >> okay, linsey. thanks. a new storm has formed in the caribbean. tropical storm matthew is expected to slam parts of central america today. and could strengthen into a hurricane tonight. and sam is tracking the storm, as always. sam? >> good morning, george. 13th named storm of the

hurricane season is matthew. and the latest forecasts have it coming across belize early this morning. and staying on the yucatan for a while. we're good with steering the storm in the first part of the forecast. not so good after that. after it's on land, the storm will weaken. you know that hurricanes are steered by even bigger storm systems. here's what's steering it. a large area of high pressure that's off the east coast. and a strong cold front moving through the country. how much time matthew spends on the yucatan peninsula has a great deal with where it goes after that. the latest forecast, does it curve? some models have it curving toward florida. some have it shredding apart on the yucatan. by about sunday at 2:00 a.m., we're looking for landfall in belize. after that, we'll be watching matthew carefully. robin? >> we will. thank you, sam. the state of virginia carried out the death penalty last night in the state's first execution of a woman in nearly a

century. this particular case is re-igniting the debate over crime and punishment. krim sciutto is in virginia with this. >> reporter: we're hearing of an harrowing scene in "l" block behind me. eyewitnesses described lewis as terrified and trembling in the chamber. she turned down a sedative, offered to death row inmates. a guard tapping her on the shoulder to calm her, as she was put to death. it's here, inside this cramped death chamber, where teresa lewis became the first woman executed in virginia in 98 years. >> the execution of teresa lewis has been carried out in the manner as described by the laws in the commonwealth of virginia. >> reporter: her minister of seven years, kept a sad vigil. when you met with her for a final time, did you have a sense that she was ready for this? >> she resigned herself to this. and she knew for seven years that this was a good possibility. but she didn't want it. >> reporter: teresa lewis confessed to a horrible crime. plotting with her lover and a friend to kill her husband and

stepson, to collect on a $250,000 life insurance policy. >> i just wish i could take it back. and i'm sorry for all the people i've hurt. >> reporter: but advocates, from crime novelist, john grisham, to supreme court justices, judge society mayor and ruth ginsburg, even president ahmadinejad, questioned whether she deserved the death penalty. she did not pull the trigger. the men who did got life in prison. and court-appointed doctors found she had an i.q. of just 72, with the moral judgment of a 12-year-old to 14-year-old. >> the practice of the death penalty in the united states is incredibly sporadic. one justice of the supreme court said, it's almost like being hit by lightning. >> reporter: for the victims' families, it is not random at all. but just punishment for murder. >> a lot of people are not taking into consideration that it was my father and my brother that paid the ultimate price. >> reporter: her final meal last

night, fried chicken, apple pie and a dr. pepper. her final words, directed to cathy, who we spoke with, the daughter of the man she murdered, saying she loves her very much, george. and she's sorry. >> jim, thank you. it was a vintage performance from iran's president at the united nations yesterday. in previous speeches, he's called for the collapse of the american empire. and yesterday, he accused the white house of orchestrating the september 11th attacks. >> translator: that some segments within the u.s. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining american economy and its grips on the middle east in order to save the zionist regime. >> and jake tapper is more on the fallout of this. no surprise. mahmoud ahmadinejad, no surprise that the u.s. delegation walked out. it comes as there's all these hints that iran may be looking to re-establish direct negotiations over the nuclear program. >> they expect ahmadinejad to

come here and say something outrageous. there was no surprise about that. one senior official said there was chum in the water, is the term he used, about the iranians maybe being willing to come to the table. i don't think this outburst or the u.s. delegation, the european delegation, storming out, changes that at all. they'll continue to press the case. >> is chum is in the water. did anybody buy that? >> today, there's supposed to be meetings between the iranians and the british. the pressure continues. president obama will give an interview to bbc persia, which airs in iran, to continue to make the case that iran needs to resolve this through peaceful means. >> senate democrats decided yesterday they're not going to have a vote on whether or not to extend the bush tax cuts across the board for the wealthy this year. they're going to wait until after the election. my reporting in the senate tells me this dramatically increases the chances that the president is not going to be able to get this full stop to extending the

tax cuts for the wealthy. some kind of compromise is going to have to come after the election. >> that might be the case. some people think that. others think that if the vote is after the november election, after, which presumably, a lot of democrats lose, that are there for the lame duck session, will be freed to vote the way they want to, and not the way they think they need to do for their own re-election. and therefore, maybe just go forward with the obama plan, just pushing the tax cuts for the middle class. >> meanwhile, a lot of focus on the election already. and the president was joking again yesterday, about michelle obama going back on the campaign trail. >> and i feel grateful that michelle, so far at least, has not run for any offices i've been running for. she would beat me thoroughly. >> she would beat him thoroughly. her approval ratings are in the 60s. they're going to use her to rally the base and to campaign for women candidates where the woman's vote is very important. >> jake tapper, thanks very much.

juju's here with the rest of the morning's news. >> good morning, everyone. the federal judge in california who declared the military's don't ask, don't tell policy unconstitutional could issue a final ruling today. the obama administration objected thursday to the injunction that would immediately allow gays to serve openly. the white house says the president is still committed to repealing the policy through congress. but it warns that abruptly lifting the ban through the courts could pose a threat to the military. a murder investigation in new york, after a nicaraguan diplomat bound for the united nations was found dead in his apartment. his throat slashed. 34 caesar mercada was found by a driver who was picking him up for the u.n. general assembly meeting. the blockbuster diabetes drug avandia will soon be prescribed for almost no one. the fda has ruled that it can be prescribed if all other medications fail. european regulators have pulled it off the market permanently.

eddie fisher has died. he was a teen idol in the '50s. but he might be remembered best for his love life. fisher married actor debbie reynolds. their daughter, carrie grew up to become princess leia from the "star wars" saga. then, he divorced reynolds to marry elizabeth taylor. fisher died after having hip surgery. he was 82. that's the news at 7:12. eddie fisher will be missed. >> yes, he will. >> he sold millions of records. >> yes, he did. thank you, juju. time, now, for weather. back from washington, is our mr. champion. good to see you, sam. happy friday. >> you, too, robin. let's deal with the heat first. it's the main story across the nation. most people will be affected by this. records in washington, raleigh. look at the heat, st. louis, as well. new york city is up in the 80s, near a record during the day today. and what about the flooding in

the middle of the country? actually, there's not a lot of rain expected out of the showers. it's tomorrow night. here's the good news here. these flood watches and warnings are out, most of the rivers will have crested and start to recede by monday. there's one or two that will hold out until wednesday. but most of the heaviest rain is down there. we've seen six to eight inches down there. and it looks like the ten-inch rainfall total was in southern minnesota. most of that area is drying out. the heat continues in the south. it is really nice. look at san francisco, about 80 degrees, showing off a big number.

>> pettifog outside and temperatures are warm. mostly sunny today with high temperatures hot and it will feel like summertime, mid-90's and i think we will bring some records later. today will go down as the 6690- degree day of the year. hot - all of america's weather in the next half hour. george? >> thanks, sam. we're going to turn, now, to a story that has gripped the nation for more than a year. those american hikers arrested on the border of iran and accused of spying. sarah shourd was one of them. she spent 410 days in solitary confinement before being released just over a week ago. her fiance, shane bauer and

friend josh fattal, is still in prison. sarah joins us now. i know you're in new york, hoping to meet with president ahmadinejad. any indication that's going to happen? >> no. we're just waiting. you know? we still have hope that might happen today. >> what do you want to say to him? >> i just want to really beseech him, encourage him to end this for shane and josh, for our families. to extend the same humanitarianism that was extended to me, to my compani companions. >> as you know, he has said the united states should release eight iranian prisoners here in the united states, as a humanitarian gesture. is that what you would like to see, as well? >> you know, i don't work with the government. i don't have control over these things. to be honest, i don't have an opinion. i want this to be resolved in a way that improves relationships between iran and the united states. i think that's better for people in this country and in iran.

but i'm not an expert on how that should be resolved. i just want it to be resolved. >> what an experience you had. 410 days in solitary confinement. take us back to the moment when this all began. what happened? >> i'm going to be speaking about that a lot. but the most important thing is just that we were hiking behind a tourist site. and there was absolutely no indication of a border. so, we had no intention of going to iran. a mistake was made. this whole thing has been a huge misunderstanding. >> and just to be clear, you've been accused of spying. your response? >> like i said, there's absolutely no evidence for that. we committed no crime. and we meant no harm to the i annian people or the government. >> so, you were not spying? >> no. >> as they took you into custody and brought you into prison, just describe for us what the days were like? >> relentless. grueling. it's a small cell. and my whole day was centered around waiting for the very brief periods that i saw shane

and josh. they really sustained me through this with their strength. i would pace in my room, wringing my hands for hours before i had an opportunity to see them. and then, it was so brief, it was over in a second. you know? but every time i felt like i was going to completely lose my grip, they brought me back. they're strong, compassionate people. they committed no crime. and they have no idea when they're going to get out of the situation. they're stuck in the same size cell i was in. but side-by-side. they have to exercise in a space the size of a towel. they don't know when they're going to get out. >> what did you say to them before you left? what did they say to you? >> they were happy for me. if they had a feeling of disappointment, they hid it from me. they have confidence. they have a voice through me. and their pain is more visible. no one can see what prisoners endure. a lot of people say i look okay. it's because no one ever is going to see what i looked like

in my cell, when i was screaming and crying and pounding on the door. and no one came to help me. and shane and josh are still there. and i want the world to be able to see them. they don't deserve to be there. and i want the world to help them. >> you describe the desperation so well. but there was also, i imagine, a great joy in prison. you got engaged. >> yeah. that was. >> unexpected? >well, not -- i mean, i was hoping for it for a long time. i was actually planning on asking shane, upon our release. but he beat me to it. it was, you know, not the typical idea of romantic. but extremely romantic in the circumstances. >> he wove together a little ring? >> yeah. i'm still wearing it. it's just red and white, from > tgorgfrom his t-shirt. i know when you came home, you said you didn't have the feelings you expected to have upon being set free. you felt only one-third free. >> and that's still very much true.

now, i'm experiencing a lot of anxiety and the constant ups and downs and uncertainty that our families have been going through all the time. and it's the same on the outside as inside, really. you have a little hope. and then, it gets crushed. you have to keep going and hoping that this will end tomorrow, tomorrow. you know? >> the iranians still say there will be a trial. you won't return for that, right? but i'm not ruling anything in. i hope that that doesn't have to happen. it takes to prove that we committed no crime and meant no harm and are absolutely innocent, i would be willing to do it. >> okay. sarah shourd, thanks so much. good luck today. >> thanks. >> robin? >> all right, george. the social networking site, facebook, back up and running after its worst outage in four years. the worldwide service disruption affected many of its 500 million users. the technical glitch didn't last that long. but it was enough to give some users a virtual breakdown.

here's jeremy hubbard. >> reporter: for the 500 million facebook users out there, we have a status update. stop freaking out. your favorite time-killer is back up and running. >> facebook is broken. >> reporter: yesterday's outage sent social networkers into brawl and on to other sites, like youtube, to voice their woes. >> what does this mean, you ask? widespread pandemonium. >> reporter: from oslo, to london, to singapore, the site went down or was slow loading. the problems lasted four hours. an eternity when we're used to constantly checking out our friends pictures and videos. poking them. and updating them on every, inane thing we do all day. what about our crops and animals? they could die if we don't water them. >> you had a little bit of mayhem that broke loose. there were 20 tweets a second on twitter. eight of the top ten google searches were about this. everyone seemed to be in a panic. >> reporter: it is the second outage in a week. and it certainly is odd timing. >> you guys were the inventors

of facebook. you invented facebook. >> reporter: "the social network" a movie about facebook, is about to come out. could the movie marketers hacked in to get headlines? anyway, maybe something good came from all in. we were forced to get back to work. as one message board writer joked, breaking news, facebook is down. worker productivity rises. u.s. climbs out of recession. for "good morning america," jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >> a headline that makes you think. >> man. 20 tweets a second. >> people were freaking out it was done. and i just happened to see "the social network," the movie. a screener. we're going to have justin timberlake on today. it makes you think about how this all came about. >> meanwhile, mark zuckerberg, giving $100 million to the school system of newark. the mayor of newark, cory booker and the governor of new jersey, chris christie. >> he's worth $7 billion. that's a generous donation. caught on tape.

two girls fighting. one of the mothers allegedly cheering one of them on. should that mom be charged with child abuse? and too sexy for "sesame street." why they pulled the plug on katy perry. and elmo and grover give us a sneak peek at the new season. that's coming up. good design comes together with the kmart home sale! essential home complete bed sets only $29.99... ...soft and colorful cannon bath towels, just $3.99 each! plus, paula deen cookware - only $99.99!, when it all comes together.../ there's smart, and there's kmart smart. words alone aren't enough.

our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. life leaves spaces for you to create in, shouldn't your card do the same? it can. meet zync from american express. it's a great way to get more

out of the things you're into. build yours to fit your life by adding packs filled with bundles of rewards and benefits. it's not just a card. it's your canvas. create yours at zynccard.com. and this is my eggo. on fridays i have hockey before school, so i take two eggo homestyle waffles and put peanut butter inside. [ whispering ] i add a couple chocolate chips when dad's starting the car. [ male announcer ] there's only one way to eat an eggo...your way. [ quinn ] l'eggo my eggo. [ louise ] my name is louise and this is my eggo. on tuesday i go in even earlier than usual. thank goodness for eggo, a nutri-grain waffle with a quick smoodge of cream cheese... at least that part's easy.

>> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> and good morning. 7:26 is your time on this friday morning, september 24 and i am

alison starling with your local update. let's check on the morning commute. look at this camera. southbound on to 70, you can barely see and traffic is slowing because there has been a car wreck in the fog. we can see a little bit better on northbound 95 out of springfield to get to the pentagon which is very slow but no accidents. that spending is crime scene investigations in southeast d.c., near branch ave. we will have details after we checked with adam caskey. mostly sunny overhead but we still do have that low-level fog in places. that will burn off rather quickly with sunshine this morning.

arlington is 72 degrees. winchester is at 7 degrees and leesburg is currently 64. mostly sunny, hot and humid today and will probably break record high temperatures in the mid-90's but it will cool into the weekend. less humid tomorrow and 70's for sunday and monday and with a chance of showers early next week. two people are in custody after a police chase ended in gunfire. it started when prince george's county police began chasing two vehicles, one of which was carjacked and the other vehicle was stopped in southeast d.c. and the suspects were caught after exchanging gunfire with police. the carjacked vehicle got away. we'll be back with another update at 7:56. for continuous news coverage, tune in to tbd news on news channel 8.

look at this, caught on tape. two girls are fighting. around them, dozens are watching, cheering them on. one of the people cheering them on is actually the mom of one of the daughters. and now, that mom is being charged with child abuse. is it fair? we're going to take a closer look at this debate. at the behavior of the kids and the adults. we say good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. i couldn't believe it when i saw that. >> it's disturbing when you see that. i'm robin roberts. also this morning, we have an eye-opening look at what it really means to be muslim in america.

bianna golodryga went undercover to find out how muslim women are treated, especially when they're wearing the head covering. it's a revealing story in our "islam in america" series. also, katy perry evicted from "sesame street." was her dress and performance too sexy for the fans? "sesame street" decided it was. plus, we're joined by elmo and grover. what did they think of the playdate? plus, what do they think of the new season? we're going to find out what's going on in the most famous kids' neighborhood coming up. >> they've got the moves. we begin with that florida woman accused of cheering her daughter on, while the 16-year-old viciously fought another girl. it was all caught on this youtube video. now, april is facing child abuse charges. andrea canning has more on this. >> reporter: believe it or not. this mother says there is a good reason she was at the after-school fight, supporting her daughter. nonetheless, she's facing criminal action in the brawl that's taking girl fighting to a

whole, new level. it's teen against teen. in yet another disturbing girl fight. these two high school juniors can be seen punching and scratching each other, while dozens of students record it on their cell phones. but look closer. and you'll see the most unlikely spectator. the mother of one of the girls. >> don't stop. punch her in the [ bleep ]. >> yelling like punch her? >> yeah. she was yelling. >> not what a mom should be doing, do you think? >> i don't know. >> reporter: police arrested april newcombe after watching the video. they say she's been charged with child abuse for encouraging her daughter to fight. newcombe stated in the police report, of course, we were both wrong. and i understand that. and i understand where y'all are coming from. i think unfortunately, it was going to happen no matter what. girl fights have become a disturbing trend. but what could possibly possess a parent to be part of the action? >> if you're in a situation like

this, you need to intervene and stop it. she told us that she went there because she was trying to prevent the child from getting hit on the head because she had had a previous injury. >> reporter: other fights seem to have no explanation. in february this, baton rouge couple was also arrested when they allegedly encouraged two teens to fight. this mother says she just hopes this latest incident will teach her son and others a lesson. >> we're going to talk about, you know, how to avoid the fight. definitely going to give them my opinion. i think absolutely the parent should have been arrested. >> reporter: april newcombe has been released from jail. and both her daughter and the girl she fought with have returned to school. school officials say neither girl faces disciplinary action since the fight happened offcampus. and police don't plan on pressing charges on the teens against this, either. >> right now, that's the case. andrea, thank you very much. terry real is a family therapist. he's going to weigh in on this for us now.

terry, good morning to you. >> good morning, robin. >> good to have you with us. you say, when you see this video, we'll show it again, it is more than just the mother. you see something much larger than just the mother's actions or inaction. >> i think this really forces us to look in the mirror, all of us. if this was an isolated incident, that's one thing. but i think we all have to face the fact when it's rambo or straw dogs, we have a part of us in our culture that cheers on when somebody quote/unquote, stands up for themselves and throws a punch. it's wherever. it's not just these two girls and this mother. >> when you talk about rambo and that, that's fiction. this is the real deal. and some may think you're letting the mother off the hook a little too much there. she said she was going there because if she truly had her daughter's well-being in mind, because of a previous head injury, she wouldn't let her fight at all. >> that's absolutely true. i'm not excusing anybody. this is uncivilized behavior. it makes no sense to say i'm

protecting my daughter's head injury by encouraging her to get into a fistfight. that makes no sense on the face of it. but i also don't want this mother to be the scapegoat that carries the sins for all of us. for example, if this were a father, urging his boy to stand up for himself against a bully, i wonder if that man would be in jail right now. >> you think it might be different? >> i think it might be different. i think it's a lot that it's two girls and a mother instead of a father. >> interesting. we heard april's comments to police, that this was going to happen no matter what. do you think that's the general attitude that kids are going to fight? >> well, if it is the general attitude, i think it needs to be stop. not only did this mother cheer this kid on. but there are about 20, 30 other kids standing there. the atmosphere is absolutely medieval. it's like bear baiting for something. it's savage to watch it. and peel do get caught up in the moment.

what i think we need to understand is there's nothing light or not serious about two kids throwing punches at each other like this. it's quite a serious matter. >> and talk about those that were there, cheering them on. it was like a party-like atmosphere. and they're posting it on youtube and other places on the internet. what does that say to you? >> there's two issues. posting it on the internet is something we've talked about a lot on this show. kids are blurred about what's private and what's public. kids are posting all sorts of things on youtube and facebook, that are damaging to others. even damaging to themselves. so, the sense of what's private and what's public, is really being blurred. the party atmosphere, though, is really disturbing. as you watch the video, kids just don't have any sense of how serious this is. they've all grown up with tv, where people are breaking chairs on each other. and standing up and shaking hands. and kids just don't get that doing this can do damage to somebody physically and permanently for the rest of

their lives. >> and a final thought. you are a family therapist. your suggestions on how this should be handled? >> well, i think that you're spot-on. i think the first order of business is understanding this is dangerous, uncivilized behavior. there's nothing to stop somebody from walking away. and the first order of business is preventing fights like this. and grown-ups should step in and intervene. on the other hand, i also think that this woman should not carry the sins for the whole culture. and we don't need to scapegoat her and throw her in jail. >> terry real. thank you for your insight and perspective. have a great weekend, terry. >> thanks, robin. it's 37 minutes after the hour. time for the weather and sam. >> good morning, again, robin. we're going to talk more about heat. it's been headlinemaking in the south and in the mid-atlantic. washington, d.c., one of the places it leads the local news. i know because i love walj in washington. you can see the haze out there. it looks like by sunday, we back

this cool air in. and that feels so much better to places like washington. by sunday, you're 73 degrees. even new york city, 71. atlanta, 79. memphis, it takes a little longer. at least you get down to 80 degrees. and you climb out of the 90s. this is so needed for this part of the country. and a lot of people will be very happy by the time we get to sunday. on the west coast, it's dry heat. look at l.a., going to 87 degrees. vegas, about 96 degrees. san francisco, running higher at about 80 degrees. reno at 86. all of that. the good news here in th we are still dealing with some areas of fog north of the metro area in maryland otherwise a lot of sunshine for the rest of the dead. 73 degrees at reag all that weather was brought to

you by volkswagen. tgif, robin. >> happy friday, sam. happy friday. coming up, katy perry's controversial visit to "sesame street." and also, two of its most famous residents, elmo and grover, will stop by for a visit, too. recessed lighting. it's absolutely -- blue one. ♪ [ grunts ] blue one. [ children ] blue one! blue one! [ male announcer ] the routan. the only minivan with the soul of a volkswagen. can we do it again? [ boy ] yeah! sure. [ male announcer ] awarded "most appealing minivan" by j.d. power and associates. starting under $26,000. it's a whole new volkswagon. and a whole new game. what if something bad happens? so what happens if someone gets my credit or debit card and buys a ton of stuff? that would be... really, really bad. [ male announcer ] with bank of america's zero liability guarantee, you're not responsible for any fraudulent charges on your card. guaranteed. bank of america says they'll credit

any fraudulent charges back to my account as soon as the next day. the next day! that makes me feel better about using these cards. they've got my back. they've got my back. [ male announcer ] the opportunity to worry less about fraud with the zero liability guarantee from bank of america. ♪ [ female announcer ] we've got stains, down to a science. new wisk, with our breakthrough stain spectrum technology targets all the major stain groups like proteins, carbohydrates and oils. its enzymes and cleaning agents tackle a full range of stains. you'll never look at stains the same way again. for a more powerful clean, try new wisk. fight stains with science.

for a more powerful clean, try new wisk. right here in this neighborhood, i grew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in these tough times i've put education first. we've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled the number of charter schools... and we've frozen college tuition for four years in a row.

and it's working. experts say we now have the number one schools in the nation. when it comes to expanding opportunity in every neighborhood, i know that we must do even better. "sesame street" opens its 41st season on monday. but one clip from the premiere has already stirred up so much debate it's been pulled from the show. you probably heard about the video. katy perry singing a duet with elmo. more than 1 million people have seen it on youtube. but was juju reports, some parents found it a little too revealing. >> reporter: showcasing a-list celebrities, alongside muppets is a mall mark of "sesame street." elmo and his friends have played with oscar winners, music legislates. all helping to master their a, b, cs and one, two, threes. >> don't you want to play?

>> reporter: one star that won't get to "sesame street" soon, is pop star, katy perry. on wednesday, "sesame street" announced they're pulling this duet of perry with elmo, for its premiere last week. when a video hit youtube, some parents complained about perry's cleavage-baring dress. in a statement, "sesame street" wrote, in light of the feedback we've received, we have decided not to air the episode on the broadcast of "sesame street." it's not if first time that "sesame street" pulled aen episode to its viewers. parents we talked to were split about "sesame street's" decision. >> i think it's fine for three minutes. i wouldn't want them to have something like this all the time. >> it's not "sesame street" appropriate. >> reporter: as for katy perry, she seemed to take it all in

stride. tweeting, wow, looks like my playdate with elmo was cut short. but if this dress is any indication, there's no hard feelings between katy and her furry friends. >> elmo? and the protective producer of "sesame street" caroline parenti is with me now. this had to have catch you by surprise. >> it is. and this is not strictly for the educational benefit. it enhances the enkagsal benefit when parents co-view. and we're going after the younger parents that may not have grown up with "sesame street" and may not seek "sesame street" out. we know "sesame street's" so effective in teaching. we do book stars that will draw in a. she's a wonderful talent. >> is anybody saying there might be something wrong with the dress? >> we would never produce something that we thought was inappropriate.

we were surprised with the amount of feedback and how fast it came in. >> it was a lot. >> it was a lot. parents trust "sesame street." we take that seriously. we viewed a lot of the feedback and made what we thought was an appropriate decision. >> pretty overwhelming on one side? >> no. no. very split. very different. and it's interesting. it's interesting to read and see some of the feedback that's there. it was very split. but "sesame street" has a long history, going back to materially years. we produced an animation that was beautiful. but a few parents wrote in and said it scared their children. and even then, we removed that kind of content. parents' opinions are very important to us. >> let's bring in your friends. we have elmo and grover right here. >> hello, mr. george. >> hello. how are you doing today? >> hello, miss carol. >> is elmo going back down? >> okay.

elmo, katy seemed sad that your playdate got cut short? >> elmo loves miss katy. we had a good time. we're going to have another playdate. >> you are going to have another playdate? >> yes. come, come, come, come. >> how do you like my outfit? >> i love it. >> not too revealing, is it? >> not in the least. i love everything you wear, grover. >> this is my getup for super-grover, 2.0. >> tell us about it. >> well, besides the new outfit, i am out using new superpowers, powers of observation. yes. yes. and investigation. and helping people everywhere. >> you are really into science this year, too, right? >> yes. what those two powers that i mentioned, are part of the scientific process. >> very good.orrect? >> who else did you have come by and visit this sum center.

>> we had a lot of wonderful people. like jude law. and colin farrell. and jennifer garner. and jason bateman. elmo loves to name-drop. >> clearly. >> he does. >> they were all dressed appropriately? >> always. it was wonderful. we had a great time with our celebrity friends. isn't that right? >> that's right. and a wonderful video song with will.i. will.i.am, right? >> yes. will.i.am. >> give us a little bit? ♪ ♪ la, la, la try something like that. >> we never got to do the song elmo slide. elmo will teach you how to dance, mr. george. >> robin's been trying. >> and elmo will be happy to dance. >> harper was very excited when i told her about this. she wanted your autograph. >> i will do that. >> you're only 3.

>> it's okay. elmo uses a red crayon. okay. elmo will do it later. >> so great. >> later. >> yes. you're so anxious, mr. george. >> it is true. >> say hello to your wife, miss ali, too. >> i will. >> elmo loves you. >> how do you know his whole family? >> elmo loves to name-drop. >> you made me a hero at home today. thank you very much. >> really? >> yes. >> we're so happy about our celebrity friends and everybody coming to "sesame street." even miss katy perry. >> thank you for joining us today. thank you. we'll be right back. still ahead, grammy winner john legend and the roots. they're going to perform. you like them, elmo? >> yes. [ male announcer ] the new subway $2.50 breakfast combo!

best deal this side of sunrise, so come in and we'll make yours! get a western egg white muffin melt and a 16-ounce cup of freshly brewed seattle's best coffee. just $2.50. build your better breakfast today at subway! to finish what you started today. for the aches and sleeplessness in between, there's new motrin pm. no other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. new motrin pm.

trying to be big like you, dad. you're so good at keeping everyone full... and focused with your fiber. [ laughs ] but you already are great at doing that. really? sure. you're made with fiber, just like me. but best of all, you're the perfect size for smaller kids. [ female announcer ] give your little ones kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats little bites™ cereal in chocolate and now original flavor. they're an excellent source of fiber packed in a smaller size. [ doorbell rings ] oh, it's original little bite™. we're off to practice keeping 'em full and focused. yeah! we've got big shoes to fill!

still to come, we continue our "islam in america" series. what's it like to be muslim right now in america? will bianna golodryga dressed in the traditional garb to find out. we'll share that in our next half hour. notice the lifelike color on this yellow seahorse, oh sorry, yellow-ish seahorse on your tv with three color technology. observe this stunning blue sea, in your mind that is. well, you get the picture. actually, you don't. [ male announcer ] quattron from sharp. you have to see it, to see it. what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] neutrogena® clinical skincare

helps restore collagen depleted skin to undo the look of a year's worth of skin aging in just 4 weeks. clinical skincare. neutrogena®. when pain keeps you up, nothing is proven to help you fall asleep faster than advil pm liqui-gels. rushing real liquid relief to ease you to sleep fast. for nighttime pain, make advil pm your #1 choice.

hmm...what's going on with dad? he seems different. ♪ are you ready? he's not talking about work. ♪ i don't want to work he's not tucking in his shirt. ♪ everybody, now! he's not checking messages every 9 seconds. and now this? ♪ i don't want to play ♪ i just want to bang on the drum all day ♪ ininininin china, they're busy building wind farms and expanding clean energy manufacturing. but in america, gridlock has held us back. now, the senate can change that - by passing a renewable electricity standard. it will spur development of clean energy and boost manufacturing in america, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. so we can make our own energy future - not just

buy it from china. call your senators and urge them to pass a renewable electricity standard today.

>> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> good morning, it is friday, september 24 and time for a local news update. let's start by checking on the road. i am curious to hear what adam caskey says in the weather center about a fog. the fog is lifted for the first time in germantown and that gives you a glimpse of the traffic starting to settle down a bit. no accidents around the beltway.

we are in a normal backup in montgomery county and go on the beltway near andrews air force base. that goes through southeast d.c. minnesota avenue, branch avenue, and massachusetts avenue, everybody comes together at randall circle and there is a crime scene investigation. it has been a gridlock mass in that area of southeast d.c.. you mentioned that the fog and we are looking at the latest reports and that looks like the 95 corridor and parts of northern anne arundel county and baltimore is getting it. temperatures are near 70. we are on our way to the mid- 90's again today. it will be hot and humid but temperatures will cool down over the weekend. less humid tomorrow and mid-80's

and sunday, increasing clouds parted michelle rey's future is still in limbo. vincent gray and michelle rhee met for more than one hour in the wilson building yesterday. they discussed the state of education in d.c. and not michelle rhee's future. he says that will be discussed when they meet again in a few weeks

♪ ♪ everybody's working for the weekend ♪ ♪ everybody wants a new romance ♪ and the weekend is just upon us. you know, keep moving. you just stopped right here. for the rest of the crowd to be seen. yes. there you go. they wait so patiently for that one shot on the air. >> these guys are getting a head start on the weekend. >> that's true. this is a woman who says she is the most hated woman in america.

others call her the military mistress. how did she break the hearts and drain the bank accounts of more than a dozen servicemen? hear what she has to say and what they have to say? chris cuomo will be here with that in a minute. and bianna golodryga went undercover for our "islam in america" series. wearing the traditional stress. and she wanted to get a sense of how people would react to her. this has been an incredible series all week long. and bianna will have a riveting conclusion. >> we've gotten a lot of reaction from the series. and guess who is moving to wisteria lane. vanessa williams. she fills us in on becoming the newest "desperate housewife." on monday, you have a special guest. justin timberlake will be here. >> i think they're going to stay through the weekend to see j.t. on monday. saw it last night, or yesterday

afternoon, "the social network." and you have aaron sorkin. >> aaron sorkin in the next half hour. and this is getting such buzz. this is the movie to beat for the oscars. >> i would have to say, after seeing it, they're right about that. all that is ahead. first, back up to juju and the news. good morning, juju. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with the deluge, swamping the upper midwest. parts of minnesota and wisconsin got nearly a foot of rain thursday. hundreds of people were forced to evacuate, as rivers overflowed, sending floodwaters pouring into homes, cars and streets. of course, sam will have more in a moment on what those hard-hit areas can expect today. president obama speaks directly to the iranian people this morning in a video interview with bbc persia. he's expected to tell them he's deeply offended by president ahmadinejad's shocking claim that the u.s. was somehow behind the 9/11 terror attacks. delegates from the u.s. and 31 other countries walked out

during ahmadinejad's speech at the united nations. lindsay lohan will be back in a beverly hills court today, facing the consequences of her recent relapse. the troubled star admitted on twitter to failing a court-mandated drug test. our mike von fremd has been following the twists and turns. and he joins us now from outside the courthouse. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, juju. lindsay lohan will walk in this courthouse a free woman. but she may be taken out in handcuffs. after spending 13 days in jail and 23 in lockdown rehab, lindsay lohan decided to do some shopping this week. much to the delight of celebrity photographers. she made this trip after confessing on her twitter page to failing a court-ordered drug test. and said, i'm taking responsibility for my actions. and i'm prepared to face the consequences. "us weekly" magazine says, it's talked to witnesses who say they watched lohan compose the mea culpa, while drinking whiskey in a bar and giggling.

>> lindsay lohan needs a swift kick in the tush is what she needs. she fleeds it hard and from someone in authority. >> reporter: the talented but troubled actress joked art her problem in a skit at the mtv awards. >> pull it together. you're a mess. you think anyone wants to work with a drunk? take it from me. they don't. >> reporter: in a "vanity fair" cover story, lohan says she wants her career back. >> it's a scam. >> reporter: but many warn she appears to be her own worst enemy. >> who goes on in hollywood, outside of courtrooms, could very well affect what's going on inside beverly hills courtrooms. >> reporter: now, she is facing the same judge who let her out of rehab, under the condition that if she tested positive for drugs, he would put her back behind bars. juju? >> thanks, mike. mike von fremd from los angeles. and now, a piece of baseball history, found in bing crosby's wine cellular of all places. the singer and movie star was part-owner of the pittsburgh pirates and had game seven of the 1960 world series recorded

because he was too nervous to watch it. it's now the only known complete copy of what many consider one of the greatest games in baseball history. crosby's beloved pifrts beat the lineup of roger maris, yoeg can i berra, with a walk offhome run. time, now, for the weather with sam. what a ball game. >> good morning, juju. happy friday, by the way. >> happy friday. >> i'm chatting with -- you're suspiciously quiet. go ahead. let it out. [ cheers ] that's more like it. i'm standing here, talking with debbie. it says it's your birthday on about 1,000 t-shirts around here. i'm guessing it is. happy birthday. >> thank you. >> we don't do numbers around here. where are you from? >> 60. >> oh, that's one of your dearest friends there. >> we have some from ohio. some from indiana. and some from florida. >> you ladies are in town for

how long? >> four days. >> have a great time. everybody, the police force are our friends. just remember that. this is a rowdy crowd. let's get to the boards. one or two things going on we want to talk about. how about this, the warmup on the west coast, as much as we're complaining about the heat on the east coast, almost all summer long, the west coast hasn't had a lot of it. l.a. comes up in the 90s now. 92 on saturday. sunday, at 94, there will be a lot of talk about that mostly sunny skies locally and you can see the sunshine but there is some ground fog. the most prevalent is in maryland. temperatures are in the 70's. we are on our way to the mid- 90's again this afternoon. it will probably be a record

breaker and mostly it is friday in times square. we'll have more weather in the next half hour. robin? >> all right, sam. bobby finley is accused of an incredibly cold-hearted crime. her alleged victims say finley loved them and left them penniless. chris cuomo sat down many are calling the military mistress. and with nine of the men she's accused of fleecing. chris, this is incredible. >> it is. we're pretty sure we're dealing with a first here. bobbi ann finley is accused by a number of men who will shock you, of basically moving around this country, and preying on them. marrying them. and then, stealing their money and leaving them basically helpless. we always worry about the troops. and we think about what might happen to them abroad. but this is a situation where

the military was unable to protect its own from a threat here at home. >> bobbi ann is inherently evil. >> she's heartless. >> cold-hearted. >> she is the devil. >> reporter: these men have become an elite band of brothers. military men, trained to protect our country from the fiercest enemies abroad. but their bond comes from what happened to them here at home. where, as young servicemen, they say they faced a surprise adversary. one in a all their armor couldn't defend against. each of these men would fall prey to the same woman, they call a domestic terrorist of the heart. >> bobbi is a woman without a conscien conscience. >> she destroyed my finances and my life. >> i don't think it will stop. >> reporter: her alleged crimes span nearly two decades. so brazen, catching bobbi ann finley, has been one woman's obsession. >> intelligent. i don't think she's mental.

i think she knows what she's doing. >> reporter: katie wegg is on a personal crusade to uncover the truth about bobbi ann finley, who stole the heart of her son, rodney. wegg was a medic at ft. hood. one night at a san antonio karaoke bar, he was introduced to a big-voiced bobbi ann finley. two weeks after they meet, robby is eager to introduce his new girlfriend to his parents. katie wegg is not impressed. >> i didn't know what. my husband believed her. they thought i was being, i don't know, paranoid. >> reporter: but the motivation to investigate bobbi ann isn't just financial. a phone call to rodney had made it all too personal. >> she says she has some pictures with a baby. and she has pictures. >> reporter: the baby, rodney

says, has a striking resemblance to another son he has. what made you decide to take it to the next level? >> he wanted to know. do something. i need to know if this child is mine. so, i started digging. >> reporter: katie combs the internet and contacts strangers on social networking sites. places where she says bobbi ann herself stalks her prey. >> and i started calling them. >> reporter: you started to see a pattern, right? >> and i started calling these guys out of the blue. >> reporter: wegg decides to dig deeper. and uncovers a huge, alleged con, covering nine states. why did you marry all of these men, many of whom are in the military? were you running a con? >> i didn't hold a shotgun to their head and say, hey. you're getting married to me right now. >> reporter: no, you didn't. you didn't do that. they would say you did something worse. >> i would say, i wanted protection. i am 34 years old. and i can say i never once have

been married to somebody that i actually loved. not once. >> reporter: but it's not one of the guys who bobbi ann hates the most. she saves her harshest words for katie wegg, the woman she can't get rid of. >> she's a conniving, vindictive, manipulative. >> reporter: why? >> she told me she would make my life a living hell. >> reporter: she believes you're a con woman to marry military men to marry her. >> she does call me that. >> reporter: some call her a patriot. >> they can call her what they want. >> reporter: any chance you will stop? >> i don't stop until she's behind bars for years to come. >> chris, how has bobbi ann been able to do this over and over and over again? >> on a light note, you see her now. and people say, she doesn't actually look like a box of

chocolates. how did she do this? back in her day, she was very charming. and she's preying on a group of men who have vulnerabilities. we see them as invincible. but they're away from home. they're often smalltown guys. they're lonely. and they have such a sense of duty. and she would come with a story of vulnerability. of pregnancy. of a need for help. and our military men respond. and here, they gave their heart. and they often lost. >> it's so honorable. they're trying to do the right thing. there's nothing that the military can do, is there? >> they've gone to the military for help. it's difficult for many reasons. and our men were left to their own a little too much. that's why we took the investigation so seriously. >> chris, great to see you. >> always. >> you can see all of chris' report tonight on "20/20," at 10:00, 9:00 central. next, we go undercover, to see what it means to be muslim in america. [ man ] ♪ grab a pop-tart and you might just start ♪

♪ to sing songs like a meadow lark ♪ ♪ stretch and yawn ♪ blow a kiss to mom ♪ cause pop-tarts mornings are the bomb ♪ ♪ so, rise and shiiiiine i love my grandma. i love you grandma. grandma just makes me happy. ♪ to know, know, know you grandma is the bestest. the total package. grandpa's cooooooooool. way cool. ♪ grandpa spoils me rotten. ♪ to know, know, know you ♪ is to love... some people call us frick and frack. we do finger painting. this is how grandpa and i roll. ♪ and i do [ pins fall ] grandma's my best friend. my best friend ever. my best friend ever.

♪ [ laughing ] [ boy laughs ] ♪ to know, know, know you after this we're gonna get ice cream. can we go get some ice cream? yeah. ♪ and i do ♪ and i do ♪ and i do but it's also rich in powerful nutrients that help cleanse and purify your body. cranberries are the ninja fruit. wh-wh-whoa! ocean spray -- tastes good, good for you. it was a real shock. i remember being at the hospital thinking, "i should have done more to take care of myself." you should've. that's why i'm exercising more now. eating healthier. and i also trust my heart to lipitor. [ male announcer ] when diet and exercise are not enough, adding lipitor may help. lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication that is fda approved

to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. dean will never forget what he went through. don't take your health for granted. [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. and about lipitor. [ male announcer ] have a heart to heart with your doctor about your risk. li'm luke myers. if you want to be incredible, eat incredible. anncr vo: eggs. the incredible protein.

at the end of the day as they do at the beginning? air optix® contact lenses have superior deposit resistance for cleaner lenses. air optix®, the lens you can survive a long day in. go to airoptix.com for a free one month trial offer. dear "gma." >> i had some advice. >> my marriage isn't what it used to be. >> who can answer tough questions like these?

in the final part of our special series, "islam in america," we look at what it's like to be muslim in america today. bianna golodryga went undercover to find out how people respond to women wearing the traditional muslim head scarf. in was a first for you. >> it was quite an eye-opening experience, george. the council of american-islamic relations has noted a spike in hostility toward muslims. even an advertising campaign telling muslims to change their religion. so, i wanted to find out what it felt like to be a muslim in america. and i talked to american women who are doing just that. i donned the hijab, myself. >> i think the hijab, is one thing a little different. it makes a muslim woman

different from a non-muslim woman. >> reporter: a hijab is a head scarf that women wear in public. >> do you notice people looking at you? >> i'm randomly checked. at a specific airport. >> i just stand aside because i know i'm going to get randomly checked. when i go in the room, i see five other muslim women. we go and do the regular procedures. >> definitely, things changed a lot after 9/11. before 9/11, you weren't called a terrorist. it was after 9/11, people stopped to let you know that you were a terrorist. or they called you osama's wife or something like that. and recently, things i would say have been very similarly hostile. >> reporter: according to the fbi, hate crime incidence against muslims soared from 28 in 2000, to 481 in 2001. and still remained well above pre-9/11 levels. the most recent equal employment

opportunity commission figure showed complaints of workplace discrimination increased 20%. what would you do if your daughter wanted to wear a hijab? >> as a mother, if she wanted to stay in big cities, where people are more knowledgeable of different cultures, religions, i would be fine. >> reporter: i wanted to see what it would be like to wear a hijab in lower manhattan. our hidden cameras followed me into a swanky restaurant. and in a department store. and on to the subway, where new yorkers took the hijab in stride. >> hey. >> reporter: but it was different in my hometown of houston. at the airport, i could feel all the eyes on me. and our cameraman overheard one man tell his companion that he hoped i wasn't on his flight. in a nearby mall, i wanted to see what would happen if i wear

wore a more striking version of islamic dress, which covers everything but the eyes. and is less common here in the states. the stares increased. and so did the comments. it sounds like he said, islamic queen. i couldn't tell if he meant it in a friendly way or not. finally, we went to orleans county in western new york, where five teens were arrested after allegedly harassing muslims in this mosque. everywhere, people went out of their way to be friendly. >> you're welcome. have a great day. >> did you find everything okay? >> reporter: our three-day experiment reflects what these women report. overt discrimination is the exception. >> there are a few that will be hostile. you know, whether you're in the grocery store or driving on the highway. someone's going to cut you off and say something about being a terrorist. there are those rare, few people out there. but i don't think the majority is like that.

>> reporter: today, many young muslim-american women embrace the hijab, rejecting the notion that traditional dress is somewhat repressive. >> it's part of their muslim identity. they are true american-muslims. and they exercise their right as an american-muslim. >> i'm wearing the hijab. and people see me for who i am, more than what my hair looks like or what i'm wearing or how pretty i am. definitely, that's the plus-side. and also, the sisterhood, like aysha to talk about. >> nobody forced me to do it. i we were the cool people. you had the matching hoodies. you can see my little toy here. you can play around with it. >> reporter: accessorize it up. >> you can have a lot of fun with it. >> hijabees are very wild. but people don't see it. >> special. >> yeah. >> reporter: some believe this generation is paving the way

forward for all americans. >> they are really helping, not only muslim girls. but they're also helping americans to learn about islam. and making other people see them the way they are. you know, as part of maturity of a nation. they have educated the masses of the nation. >> reporter: quite an impressive group of women. many americans see the hijab as something that restricts women, hiding their individuality. these women says it frees them from some of the pressures. and one of the girls was talking about stylizing her hijab. she conducted an experiment. and she went out without the hijab, in american, western clothes. and she wore that for a week. and she felt more liberated as a woman wearing the hijab. people talk to her -- >> that's interesting. just fascinating stuff. and i guess it confirms something that i've believed. americans tend to show greater respect for anyone who seems to be taking their faith seriously. >> reporter: especially here in new york. on the subway, right?

people didn't even pay attention to me, as i walked around like a normal american. my religion didn't matter. >> this has been a terrific series. and you're trading in the hijab tomorrow for a wedding dress. >> i am. >> big day. it will be great. congratulations. >> thank you, george. >> we know you're going to be happy. we want to know what you think about this story. go to abcnews.com/gma and weigh in on our shoutout board. coming up, she's moving to wisteria lane. but stopping her first. vanessa williams is here live. ate and later, john legend and the roots will sing. i can do a little cash... 50 on this card, maybe do... or you can use kmart layaway - with just $5, plus a little down - you spread the payments/ over eight weeks with no finance charges. you're good! no matter how you do the math - kmrt layaway, is the easy way to pay. there's smart and there's kmart smart.,

like the new double bacon & cheese omelet sandwich! they're all new. toasty, tasty, and made to your order. so come and build your better breakfast today, at subway! what i wouldn't do for a do-over. [ female announcer ] neutrogena® clinical skincare helps restore collagen depleted skin to undo the look of a year's worth of skin aging in just 4 weeks. clinical skincare. neutrogena®. in just 4 weeks. sometimes life can be, well, but when it's hard or hurts to go to the bathroom,,/ there's dulcolax stool softener. dulcolax stool softener doesn')t make you go... dulcolax stool softener. easier to go./ make yourself comfortable. words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed.

our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. and our efforts aren't coming at tax-payer expense. i know people are wondering-- now that the well is capped, is bp gonna meet its commitments? i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. ♪ [ female announcer ] the best way to tell how great you look is in your jeans. drop a jean size in two weeks

with the special k challenge and enjoy a good source of fiber in many of your favorite special k products. ♪ jeans don't lie. go to specialk.com to design your plan. jeans don't lie. thais...peggy. whatng usa pris problem, please? peggy? sure...well...suddenly it looks like i'm being charged a $35 annual fee. yes? tell me it's a mistake. yes? are you saying yes or are you asking yes? yes? peggy?

peggy? anncr: want better customer service? switch to discover. ranked #1 in customer loyalty. it pays to discover. >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> could friday morning to you. i am pamela brown at 8:27 and time for traffic and weather. the roads are better in virginia. 66, 395, and 95 have no major problems. traffic seems to be easing a bit on 66 out of gainesville we have gridlock traffic in southeast d.c.. that is iran minnesota avenue and branch ave. you want to avoid that avenue and used to 95 instead. the fog is burning off a bed and

southbound 270 looks better out of germantown. we'll go over to the weather center. it is another hot day today with mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid-90's this afternoon and you will feel the humidity. we are still burning of some fog north and east of the beltway. 75 degrees in vienna. we are on our way to the mid- 90's with mostly sunny skies and you will feel the sticky humidity today. by the weekend, we cool down into the mid-80's tomorrow. a very pleasant saturday and increasing clouds on sunday at high temperatures in the 70's. we will have an unsettled

weather pattern which could bring us showers next week. we need the moisture. reassuring words about metro safety from the head of the ntsb. she told a house panel yesterday that metro has taken steps to improve safety since last year's deadly redline crash. she issued a scathing report deadly redline crash. she issued a scathing report talking

♪ and it's hard times in this crazy town ♪ ♪ having hard times there's no love to be found ♪ ♪ having hard times in this crazy town ♪ ♪ having hard times there's no love to be found ♪ . chp [ cheers and applause ] john legend, teaming up with the roots. they have a brand-new cd out. recovering all of these classics from the '60s and '70s.

so great to have you here. >> great to be here. >> and i love the music you did for "waiting for superman." good morning, america. george stephanopoulos. here with robin. >> it's the weekend. we finally made it. also this morning, look who is moving to wisteria lane. vanessa williams. she was sensational in "ugly betty." how will she shake up "desperate housewives"? there was a woo. she has a sneak peek of the season for us. >> a lot of buzz. also, a lot of buzz about the new movie "the social network." we have the man who wrote it today. aaron sorkin. he create "the west wing." already being touted for an oscar. we'll have justin timberlake on monday. >> this is a fantastic half hour we have to get us into the weekend. let's go to sam now and the weather. >> hey, robin. there are two -- i know. i was going to try to sneak directly behind you. >> like where's waldo.

>> two of my favorites in the studio this morning. i can't believe it. vanessa williams is right there. john legend is right there. this is an amazing morning. if your friends aren't tuned in to "gma" this morning, you better fix that. let's get to the boards. one or two things we need to talk about. as you head out the door this friday, that leads into your weekend, warming on the west coast. the numbers have not been that warm. particularly in the l.a. area. l.a. to san francisco, it hasn't been that warm this year. it will be over the next couple of days. your normal temperature will be close to 70s. it will be in 90 degrees. a cool front will move on through and change all of that in the south. it's n

all that weather was brought to you by discover. robin? >> i know how much you love our next guest, sam. there's a new housewife, on wisteria lane. vanessa williams has joined the cast of "desperate housewives," in a role that's sure to shake up the seventh season of the series. it's so wonderful to have you back with us. >> good morning. thank you. >> so, do tell. what's going on? >> i'm the new on the block. it was one of those things that happened over a weekend. just finished "ugly betty." we got canceled. i was doing a broadway show called "sondheim and sondheim" about his music. and i got a call about to meet marc cherry, the creator of "desperate housewives." i was trying to figure out what was going to do with the rest of

my summer. and they said, do you want to join the show? it's a win-win situation. >> seeing you, it's like you have been there all along. and do we have a little bit of wilhelmina? >> i think they wanted me to come with some force. >> right. >> i play renee perry, who is married to a new york yankee. she comes from money. she's bringing her new york sensibility to the lane. she is a college roommate of lynette, played by felicity huffman. she is having problems in her marriage. and she's coming to get advice and solace from her girlfriend. and ends up loving the lane and staying. she buys edie's house at the end of the lane. >> you're loving the lane. i'm not sure the lane will be loving you. let's look at vanessa williams in "desperate housewives." >> hi. >> i'm back, rodolfo.

say, i always stay at the suite when i visit venice. if it's not available, i'll be very unhappy. if you will excuse me, there's someone more important i need to speak with. hey, jose, thanks for holding. i can't do thursday. >> jose, she'll call you back. >> lynette, you haven't changed. >> neither have you. hi. >> it is something about college roommates that bond that is never away. the outfit's a little bit different. you -- not in that clip. that had to be something special for you, being part of "ugly betty." >> i mean, shooting in new york. having pat fields at the helm. every new york designer at your fingertips as wilhelmina slater was such a luxury. but now, i'm a suburban gal. i have to tone it down a bit. but i'm still trying to bring flair and panache to the gals. >> you can't help but do that. can't help yourself. do you think there will be a

movie about "ugly betty" and the cast will come back together? >> we would do it in a second. we talk to each other all the time. you know, it was one of those rare ensembles where we truly loved each other. loved working with each other. and can't wait to see each other again. >> and you are blessed to be part of another wonderful ensemble. >> yeah. >> and being -- the adjustment of being out in california. you were here in new york. now, being back out there. how is your daughter adjusting? >> my daughter's in a new school again. but it's life as a gypsy. you know what this business is like. you go where the work takes you. and my kids are used to the transition. i think the best thing about it was when i told her i might be doing "desperate housewives." wait. is that abc/disney? we still stay at disney. i told her we were working at universal studios. she said okay. go ahead. >> there's a lot of perks with that. >> a lot of perks. >> didn't i see her on "dancing

with the stars," in the audience? >> she was there on monday night. >> with your husband, rick fox. >> cheering her dad on. watching his viennese waltz. >> what did you think of his first dance? >> he lucked out with cheryl. she is a fantastic choreographer. she'll take him far. i don't know if he'll go all the way. but she's phenomenal. >> wow. i think that was very diplomatic, that response. >> hmm. >> he is off to a great start. we just love having you here. >> thank you. >> blessings and success in all that you do. >> thank you. it's fun. >> and you can catch t [ male announcer ] are you watching cable? here's what you should be watching: your cable bill. because you could be paying way too much. stop spending more for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. and here's a special bonus: you'll also get the fios tv movie package and epix -- free for 12 months. and with this offer, there's no term contract required.

if you don't love fios, cancel at anytime with no early termination fee. fios gives you the best channel lineup, superior picture quality and more hd... plus internet rated #1 in satisfaction, speed and reliability. last chance. offer ends october 2nd. get fios tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month, plus the fios tv movie package and epix, free for 12 months... with no term contract. call 1.877.797.fios. that's 1.877.797.3467. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v it's time for fios. and you can't go back and un-do the times you tried quitng.. ♪ but evsmoker was a non-smoker once. you could be again. for many, smokinis a treatable mecal condition.

so talk to your doctor about prescripon treatment optis and support. and make this ti, your time. four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do.

oprah's special guest later today will be facebook ceo mark zuckerberg.

he's giving the newark, new jersey, school system $100 million. a headline-grabbing donation, that will go along with the release of the movie about the billionaire. it was written by the creator of "the west wing," aaron sorkin, who took this project on, despite the fact that he is really not a fan of the internet. we spoke yesterday. why does a guy who hates social media write a movie about facebook? >> i don't think i wrote a movie about facebook. at the center of it is a modern invention. but the story issed a old as the story itself. friendship, jealousy, power, class. these things that shakespeare would have written about. lucky for me, none of those guys were available. i got to write about it. >> igets to the question of what it takes to succeed. what you sacrifice to succeed. >> there's no doubt about it. it's a creation story. it also speaks right to this

generation. >> this is a once-in-a-generation idea. >> of social networking age. it talks a lot about -- i don't want it to sound like we're asking anyone to eat their vegetables. a very exciting story. it doesn't matter if you're on facebook or not on facebook, like facebook or don't like facebook. >> everybody seems like they're on facebook. 500 million. >> 500 million people. if it were a country, it would be the third-most populous country in the world. >> unbelievable. >> do i get it? i don't. >> you quote in the movie, i think mark zuckerberg's, the founder of facebook's lawyer, that every creation needs a devil. they think that's what you made mark zuckerberg. >> i don't think so. he spends the first hour and 55 minutes being a hero. the end of the movie, a tragic

hero. to be a tragic hero, you have to pay a price and feel remorse. >> you capture his intelligence, his ferocity. and i want to show a clip that captures that. >> mr. zuckerberg, do i have your full attention? >> no. >> do you think i deserve it? >> what? >> do you think i deserve your full attention? >> i have to swear before i began this deposition. i have a legal obligation to say no. >> you don't believe i deserve my attention. >> if they want to stand on my shoulders and call themselves trite. i don't enjoy sitting here and hear people lying. you have part of my attention. the rest of my attention is back at the offices of facebook, where my colleagues and no one else is capable of doing. does that put an end to your

questioning? >> fierce and focussed. and a little arrogant. >> and brilliant to be sure. i'm glad you showed that clip. this whole movie, two lawsuits were brought against facebook at roughly the same time. the defendant, the plaintiffs, witnesses, came into the deposition rooms. they swore out an oath. and what they came out was three very different versions of the story. rather than choosing one point of view, i chose all three points of view. >> you were going to cooperate with zuckerberg. you tried to. but it didn't work out. >> we did try to cooperate with mark. in the end, he did what i would do, which was decline to be a part of it. but we had told him when we were trying to get the cooperation, whether they gave it to us or not, we would show them a draft of the script and welcome their notes. we did that. they gave us notes that had mostly to do with hacking. >> zuckerberg says he's not going to see the movie. he also came to "the new yorker," he used to "west

wing," on his facebook page as a favorite show. then, she took it off. >> i was sorry to hear that. then, i was dligtded. the writer of "the new yorker" piece, e-mailed me to let me know he put it back up. >> next, i read you're going back to politics. you're going to direct the politician, andrew young story about john edwards. >> i couldn't help myself there. it's a story with shakespearean dimensions. motivations for choices that led to epic consequences. i don't really know what that's going to look like yet. but whatever you're picturing in your head when you hear a movie's going to be made out of the john edwards story, it's not going to be that. >> who are you picturing for john edwards? >> i don't know yet. >> aaron sorkin. thanks very much. >> i appreciate it, george. >> "the social network" opens nationwide. and tune in monday, we'll have building wind farms and

expanding clean energy manufacturing. but in america, gridlock has held us back. now, the senate can change that - by passing a renewable electricity standard. it will spur development of clean energy and boost manufacturing in america, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. so we can make our own energy future - not just buy it from china. call your senators and urge them to pass a renewable electricity standard today.

what happened was, it is "gma's" fall concert series. the first official concert of the season. and this morning, we have six-time grammy winner, john legend, who has teamed up with fellow grammy winners, the roots on a new cd. it's called "wake up." it just came out this week. they're going to let us hear some of the fine music this manning. i'm surrounded by greatness. melanie, common. oh, my goodness. i'm not leaving him out there, eddie. thank you, all for being here. >> it's great to be here. >> tell us a little about this music. it's '60s and '70s. it's not all music, songs that people are going to be familiar with. >> we were developing the set list for this album. we tried to uncover some classic songs that may have gotten

overlooked. and it's all really beautiful music. but it's stuff that may not have been hits. i think it kind of makes it cool for our generation to discover these songs. >> it's very important. are you up, love? you look like you're dozing. >> been up 24 hours. >> you have special guests. the new album is called "wake up." now, the band has special guests to help them with the song. the name of the track is "wake up everybody." welcome john legend and the roots, and special guests common, and melanie fee yoni. ♪ we each have a spirit inside that's angelic ♪ ♪ we can't fear the light people shine nearly as bright ♪ ♪ my band is seven strong, just like fellas ♪

♪ rock some of the most popular a cappellas ♪ ♪ you have to love us how long will it take to learn from one another ♪ ♪ that respect is something you earn from one another ♪ ♪ we can change how the world turns one another ♪ ♪ wake up, everybody no more sleeping ♪ ♪ we're thinking of times ahead ♪ ♪ the world's changed so very much from what it used to be ♪ ♪ there's so much hatred war and poverty ♪ ♪ wake up all the teachers time to teach a new way ♪ ♪ maybe then they'll listen to what you have to say ♪ ♪ 'cause they're the ones whose coming up ♪ ♪ and the world is in their hands ♪ ♪ when you teach the children

teach them the best you can ♪ ♪ the world won't get no better if we just let it be ♪ ♪ the world won't get no better we got to change it, yeah ♪ ♪ just you and me ♪ wake up all the doctors make the old people well ♪ ♪ they're the ones who suffer and who catch all the hell ♪ ♪ catch all the hell but they don't have ♪ ♪ so very long before that judgment day ♪ ♪ so won't you make them happy before they pass away ♪ ♪ wake up all the builders time to build a new land ♪ ♪ i know we can do it if we all lend a hand ♪ ♪ the only thing we have to do

is put it in our mind ♪ ♪ surely things will work out because they do every time ♪ ♪ the world won't get no better if we just let it be ♪ ♪ the world won't get no better we got to change it, yeah ♪ ♪ just you and me it's the god hour ♪ ♪ the morning i wake up ♪ just for the breath of life i thank my maker ♪ ♪ my mom says i woman from hustlers and shakers ♪ ♪ my mom built it on sky crepers and acres ♪ ♪ he said take us back to where we belong ♪ ♪ i try to write a song as sweet as these arms ♪ ♪ the one type to bare arms and wear my heart on my sleeve ♪ ♪ even when i fell in god i believe ♪ ♪ read the days that weave through the maze ♪

♪ the season's so amazing feed them and raised them ♪ ♪ seasons are aging earthquakes, wars and rumors ♪ ♪ i want to get by but we want more than consumers ♪ ♪ we more than shooters more than looters ♪ ♪ created in this image so god we live through us ♪ ♪ and even in this generation living through computers ♪ ♪ the only love, love, love can reboot you ♪ ♪ make up, everybody wake up, everybody ♪ ♪ need a little help [ cheers and applause ]

john legend and roots. how great were they? and common. thank you. and melanie. >> you're up. you're really up. >> they're going to sing another one, "green light," right? >> yes. >> you can catch it on our website. you don't have to go anywhere. have a fantastic, weekend, everybody. >> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update.

>> good friday morning to you at 8:56% i am allen brown with your local update. let's look at traffic and weather. the volume is saddling down and 66 eastbound is slowing at nutley street. this is what it looks like inside the beltway through falls church into roslyn, not a bad ride. we go to 395 with a delay after pentagon city and over the 14th street bridge. the beltway in maryland has normal backup from university boulevard to get past colesville wrote. the american legion bridge at river road has no delays leaving to 70. -- 270. 270 has no delays. we burned up most of the fog and there is still some closer to baltimore.

that is reagan national airport. mostly sunny today and again tomorrow but tomorrow will be noticeably cooler than today. 78 degrees in arlington. we are on our way to the mid- 90's and mid-80's tomorrow. a slight chance of showers late sunday but especially monday and tuesday and we need the rain. steven colbert will appear before congress today. he will testify at a house hearing on farm workers who are illegal immigrants. last month, he picked vegetables at a new york foreman took part in the united farm workers program and invited people to replace illegal